Game-counter.



No. 644,967. Patented Mar. 6, l900.- H, H. BYRNE. GAME COUNTER.

(Appl t nflldMyB 1899) 3 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

(WWW fl. Bar we No. 644,967. Patented Mar. 6, I900.

H. H. BYRNE.

GAME COUNTER.

' (Applicatiofi filud May 6, 1899.)

3 Sheotr-Qhuet z (No Model.)

1min No. 644,967. Patented Mar. 6, I900.

H. H. BYRNL GAME COUNTER.

(Application filad Ely 6, 1899.)

(" B 3 Shaals--Sheat 3.

Mai, Hi1 6mm!- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HUGH H. BYRNE, OF LACROSSE, YVISCONSIN.

GAME-COUNTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 644,967, dated March 6, 1900.

Application'filed May 6 1899. Serial No. 715 ,860. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HUGH H. BYRNE, a citizen of the United States, residing at La Orosse, in the county of La Crosse and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in -Game-Oounters; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appert-ains to make and use the same.

The object of this invention is the provision of a simple cont-rivance for keeping tally of the points of a game, whet-her one loses or wins, to register the number of games won by either party, and to provide receptacles for matches, cigar-ashes, and sundry articles.

The game-counter, as illustrated, is designed for registering the points of two parties or pairs of partners; but with slight changes and modifications its range may be extended without departing from the nature of the invention.

The improvement will be described more particularly hereinafter and set forth in the appended claims; and it consists of the novel features and details of construction embodied in the device shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view. Fig. 2 is a vertical central longitudinal section. Fig. 3 is a plan view, the top or cover of the casing being removed. Fig. 4=is an end View. Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the base or platform, the casing being removed. Fig. 6 is a view of the base inverted.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

The base, bottom, or platform 1 is of oblong form and is provided near each end with keepers in the form of elongated openings 2, for a purpose presently to be described. A receptacle 3 is provided at one end of the base, and other receptacles 4 are formed at the sides thereof, said receptacles being designed to receive matches, cigar-ashes, or sundry articles. The several receptacles are formed by recessing extensions of the base and are disposed so as to come exterior to the sides of the casing 5, inclosing the mechanism for keeping tally of the games. The base is detachably connected with the casing and ent instance of turn-buttons or screw-eyes 7,

are applied to the lower edges of the ends of the casing and are adapted to pass through the elongated openings 2 of the base and be turned so as to sit crosswise of said openings and retain the casing in position when placed thereon. The heads of the turn-buttons or screw-eyes are seated' in recesses 8, formed in the bottom side of the base 1 in line with the openings 2, thereby admitting of said base resting squarely upon a table or like support. One end of the casing is made rounding, as shown at 9, and observation-openings 10 are formed therein to admit of the numerals imprinted upon the endless tapes or strips 11 being read. A circle or like character 12 is impressed upon the rounded portion 9 and cooperates with pointers 13, pivoted to the part 9, so as to indicate losses of one or more of the players. lVhen the pointers 13 are turned into the position indicated in Figs. 1 and 4, the parties are losers to the amount represented by the numerals appearing at the observation-openings 10. WVhen one or both of the pointers are turned away from the circle 12, the players are winners to the extent represented by the numbers appearing at the openings 10. Dials 14 are provided at the rounded end of the casing, and hands 15 cooperate with the numerals thereof to indicate the number of games won by the respective players. Wheels 16 are located within the rounded end portion of the casing and are of such relative size and disposition as to have their upper portions come close to the observation-openin gs 10, so as to bring the tapes or strips 11 in position for ready reading of the numerals imprinted thereon. These Wheels 16 are secured to the inner ends of the shaft 17, journaled in the sides of the casing and provided at their outer ends with operating; knobs 18, by means of which the shafts 17 and wheels 16 are turned to move the indicatingstrips 11 in the required direction, so as to bring the desired numeral in position to be read through the observation-openings 10. The shafts 17 are in transverse alinement and are supported at their inner ends by brackets 19, attached to the sides of the cars ing and bent between their ends so as to clear the peripheral portions of the inner sides of the Wheels, as indicated.

The indicating-strips 11 are endless and have numerals imprinted thereon and are considerably longer than the casing and are supported upon a series of idlers 20, journaled to the inner faces of the sides of the casing. These indicating-strips may be of paper, teX- tile fabric, or any suitable flexible material which will admit of their passing around the wheels 16 and the several sets of idlers or direction-pulleys. IVhen keeping tally of the points of a game, the players turn the shafts 17 by means of the knobs 18, so as to bring the required numeral upon the indicatingstrips into position to be read through the observation-openings 10. Should a player not have any points to his credit and lose,- the corresponding pointer or hand 15 is turned toward the circle 12 and the indicating-strip operated so as to bring the numeral representing the loss opposite the opening 10, when it will be known that the number appearing at the opening represents the loss or number of points to be acquired before the player can begin to count ahead in the progress of the game. lVhen a game is Won, the player turns the hand 15 so as to indicate the proper nu 1nber upon the dial 14:.

When the game is of such a nature as to require the use of pegs or pins, as is the case in playing cribbage, the casing is removed from the base 1, when the counter provided thereon is in position for use.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. A game counter, comprising a base formed upon its upper side to provide a cribbage-board or like counter, a casing applied to the base and concealing and protecting the cribbage-board, indicating mechanism carried by and inclosed within the casing, and catches detachably connecting the casing to the base, whereby said casing may be readily and conveniently applied and removed to bring either the said indicating mechanism or the cribbage-board into position for use.

2. A game-counter, comprising a base having integral offstanding receptacles, and provided upon its top side With indicating devices, a casing seated upon the base, catches detachably connecting the casing and base, registering mechanism housed within the easing, and indicating means for registering the total number of games, substantially as set forth.

In a game-counter, registering mechanism neutr-al as to points Won or lost and designed to be read either Way, and a device for indicating the manner in which the points registered should be read.

4:. In a game-counter, a single set of registering mechanism for each player to indicate both the number of points won and the number of points lost in the game, said mechanism being itself neutral as to minus and plus points and adapted to be read either way, and. indicating mechanism to determine the manner in Which the points registered should be read, the same consisting of movable pointers, and a character common to and c0- operating with the pointers.

5. In a game-counter, a casing having an observation opening, an inclosed indicator movable past the opening and carrying point characters neutral as to plus or minus and designed to be read either way, means for operating said indicator, and a device for iudicating the proper manner in which the points registered should be read.

6. In a game-counter, a casing having an observation-opening, a wheel located wholly within the casing and having a peripheral portion approaching close to the said observation-opening, an endless indicating-strip housed at all points within the casing and operated by means of said wheel, a series of pulleys for giving proper direction to and preventing slack in the indicating-strip, and an operating-knob connected with the said Wheel for rotating it, substantially as specifled.

7. A game-counter, comprising a casing having a plurality of observation-openings, independently mounted and operated Wheels located within the casing and having their peripheral portions approaching close to the observationopenings, endless indicatingstrips movable by means of said wheels, independent series of direction-pulleys for each indicating-strip, operating-knobs for the said Wheels, indicating mechanisms for determining the manner and character of reading the registering mechanisms to determine the status of each player with reference to the game, and tallying devices for determining the number of games, substantially as set forth.

8. A game-counter, comprising a base having integral offstanding receptacles, and provided upon its top side with indicating devices and having elongated openings and recesses in its bottom side in line with said openings, a casing detachably connected with the base, turn-buttons applied to the casing and adapted to pass through the elongated openings and to be turned crosswise thereof and seated in the said recesses, registering mechanism housed within the casing, and indicating means for registering the total number of games, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HUGH H. BYRNE. [L. s]

Witnesses:

WALTER O. XVINTER, JNo. B. WEBBER. 

